The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-08-12

way, and every crushed pmber ana
beam
REPRKsKErED A CRUSHED HUMAN FRAME
or a broken bone. In an instant the air
was filed with the cries Of the wounded,
and the shrieks of those about to die.
and the groaus of men and the screams
of women united to make an appalling
sound, and above all could be heard
the agonixing little children, as in
some Instances they lay pinned along
side of their dead parents. And there
was another terrible danger yet to be
met-the bridge was still burning, and
the wrecked cars were lying around the
fiercely burning embers. Everywhers
in the wreck were wounded and unhurt
men women and children, whose lives
could be saved, if they could be gotten
out, but whose death, and
DEATH IN A MOST HORRIBLE FORM,
was certain, if the twisted wood of the
broken cars caught fire, and to fight
the FIRE there was not a drop
of water, and only some fifty
sbIe-bodied men, who had still pres
ence of mind and nerve to do their duty.
The only light was the light OF the
burning bridge, and with so much OF its
aid. the fifty men went to work to sub
due, For four long hours they fought
the fend, and for four hours the vic
tory hung in the balance. Earth was
the only weapon with which the IRE
could be fought, and so the sttampt
was made to smother it out. There
was no pick or shovel to dig 1t up, no
baskets or barrows to carry it. and so
men, desperate, dug their fingers down
into the earth which so long
the drouth had baked almost
as hard as stone. and heaDed
the precious handfulls, thus hardly
won. upon the encroaching flames and
this earthvork, built handful by hand
fnI. kent back the foe. While this was
going on, other brave men crept
Underneath the wrecked cars beneath
the fire. and with wooden bars helped
the prisoners to many precious lives
with one hand and with their other
hand
BEAT BACK THE FLAMEs
as they flashed up alongside some IN
fortunate wretch who, pinned down by
a beam, looked as if his death by fire
was certain. While the fight was thus
going on the ears of the workers were
filled with the grosns of dying men.
the anguished entreaties of those
whose death seemed certain unless
the terrible blaze could be ex-
The cries of these,
too badly hurt to care in what manner
the end were brought about, so only it
shouId he quick, spurred them to dig
mn tbe earth with their hands, reckless
of the blood streaming out from broken
fineernails. and heaping it up in little
mnnnds. while all the while came the
hesrtrending cry: For Gods sake,
don't let US burn TO death"
FINALLY, THE VICTORY WAS WON
and the fire was put out, after four
hours of endeavors, and as its last
sparks died away, light came up in
the east to take their place and came
down upon the scene of horror. While
the fight had been going on, men had
been dying and there were not
so many wounded to take out of
the wreck as there had been four hours
before, but in the meantime the country
had been aroused. Help had come
from Chatsworth, Forrest, and Piper
CITY, AS the dead were laid reverently
alongside of each other out in the corn
fields. there were ready teams to take
them into Chatsworth, while some of
the wounded were carried to Piper City.
One hundred and eighteen was the
awful roll of the dead, while the
wounded numbered four times that
number. The full tale of the dead can
not, however, be told yet for days.
There was one incident OF the acct
dent which stood out far
HoRE HORRIBLE THAN ALL
the horrible scenes. In the coach was
a man. his wife and little child, his
name could not be learned to-day, but
it is said he got on at Peoria. When
the accident occurred the entire family
of three was caught and held
down by broken woodwork. Finally,
when relief came, the man turned to
the friendly helpers and said feelingly:
"Take out my wife first; I'm afraid the
child is dead" They carried out the
mother, and as broken seat was taken
off her crushed breast, the blood which
WeIIed from her lips told how badly she
was hurt. They carried the child, a
fair-haired girl Of 5, and laid her in the
cornfeld, dead, alongside her dying
mother. Then they went back
for the father, and brought him out.
Both his legs were broken, but he
crawled through the corn to the side of
his wife and feeling the loved features
in the darkness, pressed some brandy
to her lips and asked her how she felt.
A feeble groan was the only answer
and the next instant she died. The
man felt the forms Of his dead wife and
child and cried out: my God! there
is nothing more for me to live for" and
taking a pistol out of his pocket, pulled
the trigger. The bullet went surely
through his brain and the three dead
bodies of that little family are now
living side by side in Ohatsworth, wait
ing to be identified.
The town OF
cHArswoRTH WAS TURNED INTO A NoReUE.
The town hall, the engine house, and
the depot were full of dead bodies, while
every house in the little village had its
quota of the wounded. There were
over 100 corpses lying in the e1tempor-
lied dead houses. Every man, woman
and child was turned into an amateur
but jealous nurse. Over in the lumber
ward tho noise Of hammers and saws